Quote Originally Posted by Alan View Post
No, actually I don't think the feds backed down in the face of greater firepower. I think the feds temporarily backed down in order to wait for protesters to leave the area before storming the ranch.

Personally, I think this Bundy guy is nuts, but I also think the small army the feds sent after him is overkill. Put the two together and you get a bad result, especially if there's no third party willing to step into the middle.
On this we agree. The feds backed down cause they didn't want a bloodbath to play ad nauseum on right wing sites. ( I realize some in the feds would have liked to rush in there guns blazing, but thankfully cooler heads prevailed) But that doesn't make this guy any less guilty. I just wish all those 'tea baggers' hadn't rushed down there to defend this law breaker. I have to believe they didn't have the total truth to work from. From what i saw on tv, so many of those "patriots' were fairly young people, so maybe not in full faculty of critical thinking. I'm glad the feds realized this. EVen against clear law breakers, I don't want unnecessary deaths.
The feds do need to take care of this, however. They can't let these law breakers get away with this, anymore than they need to let bank robbers 'just go' because they have guns and hostages. There is always an alternative plan. The less violence in the process the better.